Man attempts self-immolation in front of parliament

Duvar English

A man in his mid-30s attempted to set himself ablaze in front of the parliament, yelling "I'm hungry, my kids are hungry!" on Feb. 13. That made him the second person to self-immolate in Turkey in the past week.

The man, around 35, poured gasoline on himself in front of one of parliament's gates around 09:15 a.m. when nearby security guards jumped on him to prevent him from setting himself on fire, eyewitnesses told ANKA news agency.

"He said he was protesting because of unemployment," witnesses said.

The man was later detained by security guards from the parliament Safety Directorate before being transferred to the custody of the Ankara Police, where he will be processed for "conducting an illegal protest."

"Suicides at parliament's gates"

Ali Mahir Başarır, Mersin Deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) tweeted about the details of the incident.

"Hunger suicides have arrived at the gates of parliament," said Başarır in his tweet, referring to the suicides that have happened in the past few months in Turkey.

"How many more citizens need to be severed from life before the administration acknowledges the unemployment and financial crisis in the country? Enough!" Başarır said in another tweet.

A father of two, Adem Yarıcı died from his injuries after attempting self-immolation in front of the Hatay Governor's Office on Feb. 7. Witnesses said that he shouted "My kids are hungry!" before setting himself ablaze.

College student Sibel Ünli killed herself in early January, her social media posts revealing after her death the financial difficulties many university students face in Turkey.

Two families also committed suicide in November of 2019. Four siblings in their 50s and 60s hung a sign on the door of their Istanbul apartment that read “There is cyanide inside, do not enter, call the police.” A family with two young kids were also suspected of having killed themselves as cyanide upon being found dead at their home.